Antique Oil on Canvas Pastoral Cow Painting by Julius Bergmann

This antique oil on canvas pastoral cow painting is signed and dated (1889) by the artist, “J. Bergmann ‘89”. Because Bergmann used an vertically oriented canvas, the viewer is able to focus on the subjects, rather than the surrounding countryside. His skill as an artist is demonstrated by his use of richly colored details, proportion, and lighting. A farmer, clad in a red and white shirt beneath a brown jacket and a matching hat, is leading two yoked cows down a meandering dirt road that has emerged from the wooded area behind them. The two cows (both white with ruddy-colored markings) are pulling a wooden cart that is currently barren. A blue sky filled with white fluffy clouds is visible over a single house about halfway up a verdant hill.

Julius Hugo Bergmann was born in Nordhausen, Germany in 1861. At the age of 18, Bergmann began studying at the prestigious Städelschule in Frankfurt, under Heinrich Hasselhorst. In his early 20s, Bergmann became a student at the art academy in Karlsruhe, under the guidance of Hermann Baisch and Gustav Schönleber. At the turn of the century, Bergmann was himself a teacher at both Karlsruhe and Dusseldorf art academies, with a focus on animals and landscapes. He exhibited at exhibitions in major cities throughout Germany in his lifetime, and today, several of his works are still on display at museums in Germany.